“The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah’ (called Christ) ‘is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.’ Then Jesus declared, ‘I, the one speaking to you—I am he.’”
(John 4:25-26)
Jacob’s Well
Water sloshed. Sweat poured. The bread and raisin cakes wore off hours ago, but Jacob was in too deep to quit, now. One-hundred feet above his head, cows mooed and sheep bleated. “Water!” they seemed to cry. Through the pungent air of the well, Jacob sighed.
I wonder what thoughts bubbled up in his mind. Of course, digging was difficult, but did it feel mundane? Ordinary? Dare I say, meaningless?
Jacob knew El Roi saw him in his well, just like He saw Hagar by hers. But what Jacob could have NEVER fathomed was that one day, the Messiah would use his well as a metaphor to draw a Samaritan woman to Himself.
Flash forward many moons. The Samaritan woman shuffled toward the same well. She had no clue she’d be standing in the presence of the God of Jacob. Yet, there Jesus was, within arm’s reach, flesh and bone.
“I Am He”
Before her eyes stood Eve's Offspring Who'd dismantle the devil's work (Genesis 3:15), and put an end to sin (Daniel 9:24).
"I am he."
Twelve feet away stood the promised Ruler from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), David's Offspring Who has an eternal kingdom, the exalted Son of Man (Daniel 7: 13-14), Zion's King (Zechariah 9:9), and the One to Whom Judah's scepter belonged (Genesis 49:10).
"I am he."
Within whispering distance stood a Prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15), the Mediator of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31) and the faithful Priest Who'd do God's will (1 Samuel 2:35).
"I am he."
She stared at the countenance of the spotless Lamb of God, the Root of Jesse, the rejected Cornerstone, Jacob's Wrestler, Joshua's General, Job's Redeemer, and Shadrach's fourth Man in the fire!
"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."
(Luke 4:18)
"I, the one speaking to you—I am he."
Application
The Samaritan woman came to Jacob's well for water, but abandoned it after beholding Jesus, the Spring of living Water. The soul-satisfying Water flowed through her, and downhill through every crooked street of Samaria. And the same should be true of us (Acts 1:8).
Where’s your “Samaria?” Where’s the place you’ve avoided? Witness to them. Tell them about Jesus, the Christ. The Spring of living Water cares about them, too.
Logan Stogner is passionate about teaching people about Jesus. God's Son is his Anthem. When he's not writing, speaking, or picking a guitar, you can find him playing UNO with his wife and daughters, or riding a boat along the Biloxi river. A true Southerner, he delights in fishing, eating, and sipping his favorite New Orleans Famous coffee.
If you'd like to learn more about Logan and his devotional, please visit his website at loganstogner.com.